South Carolina Stuns No. 10 Texas A&M With Second Half

© Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

South Carolina (5-3, 3-3 in the Southeastern Conference) struck a big blow in the SEC title race with a 44-20 upset victory over No. 10 Texas A&M (7-2, 5-1) on Nov. 2 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C.

The Gamecocks had come close to knocking off some of the conference's elite teams early in the season and finally secured a win behind 530 total yards and 286 rushing yards from its offense. This handed Texas A&M and its 18th-ranked rushing defense their first loss in conference play.

South Carolina-Texas A&M Game Summary

South Carolina came out of the gate swinging, taking the game's opening drive 75 yards in 11 plays as freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers ran into the end zone from the 23-yard line to take an early 7-0 lead.

Texas A&M had kept its starting quarterback for this game unknown all week and countered the Gamecocks' aggressiveness with a fourth-down conversion attempt from its own 34-yard line. However, South Carolina's defense stuffed quarterback Marcel Reed, the ultimate starter, at the line of scrimmage. Before you could blink, a fading pass from Sellers to wide receiver Joshua Simon put the Gamecocks up 14-0 with 104 yards of offense before the Aggies could score a point.

Seemingly adding to the early misery, Texas A&M running back Le'Veon Moss — the third-leading rusher in the SEC entering the game — suffered a knee injury that removed him from the contest in the first quarter. Still, the Aggies were able to gain their footing, outscoring the Gamecocks 17-6 in the second quarter and taking a brief 20-17 lead before South Carolina managed a field goal to tie things at 20 just before the half.

Running back Raheim Sanders helped South Carolina reclaim control of the game with a 52-yard third-quarter TD run to cap an 83-yard drive and take a 27-20 lead.

Sanders ran for a season-best 144 yards and 2 TDs, while Sellers accounted for 350 total yards and 3 TDs.

Texas A&M running back Amari Daniels ran for 83 yards and 1 TD. Reed added 252 total yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.

Turning Point

After Sanders' third-quarter TD run, Texas A&M's offense got aggressive again and decided to go for a fourth-and-1 from its own 31. Daniels got the ball and was stopped short of the first down, and replay review upheld the ruling.

© Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

That led to a turnover on downs and a 43-yard South Carolina field goal to make it a two-score game. The Gamecocks added two late TDs during a 24-0 second half to secure the upset.

What it Means

Texas A&M suffers its first loss in SEC play and since the season opener against No. 8 Notre Dame. The loss knocks the Aggies into a first-place tie with No. 2 Georgia (7-1, 5-1) with three games left to play. The Aggies can still play their way to the SEC Championship game.

South Carolina gets a much-needed win to stay above .500 on the year and move to .500 in conference play. The Gamecocks are one win away from bowl eligibility and can play spoiler with upcoming games against No. 25 Missouri and No. 11 Clemson.